Bill Spight initiated a classification of moves by their immediate vicinity, as shown in the following diagram.
There are 21 such basic patterns, which I propose to call Spightonians (スパイトニャン). Some of them are very useful.
All moves can be classified under one of the 21 Spightonians, which are a great classification tool. This page uses them to provide a field guide with which the reader can identify moves if their name is not known. It is arranged by the number of enemy stones and then by the number of friendly stones the move touches. See also /conventions.
Table of contents | Table of diagrams The 4 immediate neighbours Untouched move Open move Kosumi Kado or Kata Hazama Nozoki Narabi? Straddle botsugi Fill The touch The press The thrust Carve The general wedge The Chop Impinge The Division Sashikomi The gouge |
The untouched move (アンタッチ) is the ancestor of a prolific family of subclasses, distinguished by their more distant neighbours. Unfortunately, because of this dependence on context it does not lend itself to general tactical considerations.
Three subclasses are of particular importance: Open moves with no stones around, kosumi with one friend around and the strike with only enemies around.
All diagonals are empty.
Subclasses:
kosumi (コスミ) - diagonal move
Subclasses:
narabi? (並び) - solid extension.
Subclasses:
This move makes most sense if the two stones straddle an enemy stone at a, in which case it is called kata-tsugi? (堅ツギ) - solid connection. If a empty this move is an empty triangle. If a empty and there are 2 enemy stones at b this move can be guzumi.
botsugi (棒ツギ) - pillar
This unfortunate situation occurs when you need to connect one of the stones with a living group.
This is a useful Spightonian, but not as useful as the next one. See Introduction to the 'touch' tactic.
Subclasses:
This is the most useful Spightonian. See Introduction to the 'press' tactic. [2]
Subclasses: (The distinction between the first three depends on other context.)
Subclasses:
This is an ideal situation that rarely happens in real life.
Sashikomi (差し込み) - thrusting in
This move is only possible when taking? a group of enemy stones.
Created: Sebastian, 2004-11-27
[1] The terms nozoki and peep do not exactly fit in this classification, because they say nothing about the other neighbours. To be exact, this move should be called open peep.
[2] The name "press" was chosen by Bill Spight. Because this term has already been used in a different sense, other names have been proposed to replace it. See Introduction to the 'press' tactic/discussion.
[3] The term atekomi includes several related cases.
[4] The term de also includes the case where the North stone is at the Northwest diagonal.